The use of loops to aid in the removal of ammunition magazines from a storage compartment is known in the prior art. Likewise, the use of handle attachments or tabs or other extensions to carry ammunition magazines and other objects is also known. These attachments and modifications, while suitable for their individual purposes, are not as suitable for the purpose of this invention, namely providing an extension that is of one piece with an ammunition magazine or with the floor plate of said magazine for the purpose of extraction of said magazine from ammunition pouches worn on the user. For example, the current practice of forming duct tape tabs and cord loops on ammunition magazines; U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,815 to Fitzpatrick; U.S. Pat. No 5,906,065 to Pearce; U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,962 to Musgrave; U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,991 to Stadelmann; U.S. Pat. No. 2,205,967 to Wise; U.S. Pat. No. 1,797,951 to Gaidos; U.S. Pat. No. 1,245,499 to Orme And U.S. Patent No. D-33,384 to Thorn are all illustrative of the prior art.
Currently, in the field, soldiers use either loops of parachute cord attached to ammunition magazines by duct tape or they form tabs by folding duct tape over the butt end of their ammunition magazines. The loops and tabs aid soldiers in the extraction of said magazines from ammunition pouches carried on the user. However, the duct tape tends to wear and often needs replaced. The duct tape also leaves a sticky residue when removed and provides no other benefit other than the increased friction or fastening a pull tab or loop to the ammunition magazine. Soldiers have also extracted the inside portion of a length of parachute cord, leaving the casing, tied said casing together and positioned the formed loop so that it encircles the floor plate of an ammunition magazine before they replaced said floor plate, with the loop, in the magazine. Thus they have formed a loop, extending from the bottom of the magazine. Unlike the “para-cord loops” the handle according to this invention does not move relative to the magazine, allowing for the entire range of benefits of use of the handles with a lower cost than other handle embodiments.
While the aforementioned inventions accomplish their individual objectives, they do not describe an integral extension that is used primarily for the extraction of ammunition magazines from ammunition pouches, as evidenced by the duct tape modifications used in the field. Handle and loop attachments used in the prior art are mainly used for affixing an ammunition magazine to other objects, such as clothing or vehicles. In one of the two cases where handle attachments are used for extraction, the handle is a simple metal wire forming a loop and is not adapted for use in the various positions a user may wear an ammunition pouch. There are also disadvantages with the duct tape modifications, particularly regarding removal and in the amount of slack in a loop of parachute cord. While the Pearce '065 patent discloses replacement of the floor plate, the enhancer is designed for improving the grip a user has on his gun, not the ammunition magazine, and does not disclose any type of handle extension. The Fitzpatrick '815 patent discloses a handle that is attached to an external sleeve, not an integral handle. In this respect, the extensions according to the present invention depart substantially from the usual designs in the prior art. In doing so, this invention provides integral extensions that are primarily designed for the purpose of aiding the extraction of ammunition magazines from pouches worn on the user.